Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ apparent glide path to his June primary and November general election was smoothed with an endorsement from the Bronx Democratic Party and several prominent elected Bronx Democrats. With the petitioning period ended, Williams will not face any well-known primary opponents.

Electeds joining Williams included Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assembly Member and Bronx Democratic Chairman Marcos Crespo, Assembly Members Latoya Joyner, Jeff Dinowitz, Victor Pichardo and Nathalia Fernandez and Council Members Andrew Cohen and Ritchie Torres. Assembly Member Michael Blake, who ran against Williams in the February special election, did not attend the rally but appeared immediately afterward and expressed his support for Williams. That special election put Williams into office through the end of 2019 and the November general election will fill the remaining three years of former public advocate and current NYS Attorney General Tish James’ unexpired term.

The Rev. Al Sharpton drew a large contingent of elected officials to his annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at National Action Network’s House of Justice. Headliners included U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke and Carolyn Maloney. NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Council Speaker and Acting Public Advocate Corey Johnson, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and NYS Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also spoke.

Several of the public advocate candidates participated, including Assembly Members Latrice Walker, Michael Blake and Danny O’Donnell, Council Members Jumaane Williams and Rafael Espinal, former Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Dawn Smalls. Walker, Blake, O’Donnell and Smalls were given speaking slots. Former mayor David Dinkins and former congressman Charles Rangel appeared, sitting onstage in the front row for the full program.

The Bronx County Democrats drew a large field of elected officials and candidates to their annual dinner Wednesday, though Governor Andrew Cuomo and several notable candidates did not attend. Statewide and citywide electeds present included Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Letitia James and Comptroller Scott Stringer. Hochul and DiNapoli, along with Cuomo, are running for reelection and James, reelected in November as public advocate, is running for attorney general.

Notable non-attendees included Cynthia Nixon and Jumaane Williams, Democrats running for governor and lieutenant governor, and Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez defeated Rep. Joe Crowley in the June 26th primary for the 14th Congressional District, which is roughly 1/3 in the Bronx and 2/3 in Queens. James was the only one of four Democratic candidates for attorney general attending, with Zephyr Teachout, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and Leecia Eve not spotted. State senate candidate Alessandra Biaggi, challenging Jeff Klein also (as far as I could determine) did not attend.

Governor Andrew Cuomo rolled through Evander Childs High School in the Bronx as part of a series of rallies seeking to generate support for a “red flag” law. A “red flag” law would aim to allow teachers, health professionals and others to report potentially dangerous persons for confinement and treatment with the goal of avoiding mass shootings.

Cuomo arrived at the rally on a school bus, traveling from an earlier rally on Long Island. He was joined by several elected officials, including Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Public Advocate and attorney general candidate Tish James, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Rep. Eliot Engel and Council Members Andy King and Ritchie Torres.

Mayor Bill de Blasio wrapped up his reelection campaign with an election eve appearance on Fordham Road in the Bronx. In his final appearance before election day the mayor greeted passersby for about 40 minutes Monday evening, shaking hands, hugging and posing for pictures with the steady flow of well-wishers who lined up for a moment with the mayor. de Blasio was joined by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who is also up for reelection.

Heavily favored to win according to public polls, de Blasio appeared relaxed and enjoying himself and extended his stay when staff first tried to bring the meet & greet to a close. His greetings as people moved in for their photo included an ever-present request that they vote for him Tuesday, with Diaz periodically chiming in “vote for the D’s, de Blasio & Diaz.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo gave a strong speech in support of State Senator Jeff Klein this afternoon, joining a GOTV rally in the Bronx. Klein, leader of the breakaway “Independent Democratic Conference” which controls the state senate in cooperation with the Republican minority, faces Oliver Koppell in a Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Post-rally Press Conference:

Cuomo, joined by his lieutenant governor running mate Kathy Hochul and Klein, spoke with the press following the rally. After a statement touting Hochul and Klein’s candidacies, he answered press questions. Topics included his encounter with Zephyr Teachout at the Labor Day Parade Saturday, Hochul’s candidacy, his engagement with the IDC and Republicans, whether he’s “advanced progressive ideals” and his “ethics agenda”. The press conference concluded with an attempt to ask Hochul about being referred to during the rally as a “young lady.”

As you’ll see in our highlight reel, the speeches displayed much of what Team Cuomo has going for it; four years in office with some significant legislative accomplishments, nearly universal support from elected Democrats and their political organizations, enormous amounts of state money spent over the past four years which, whether well spent or not produces support from recipients, and a powerful speaker at the top of the ticket. There’s humor, a few exaggerations and basic politicking mixed with some contortions around the fact that Klein and his IDC have kept the Senate Republicans in shared power and the fact that governor has embraced many of those same Republicans. Among the contortions, Dinowitz’s statement that “Jeff Klein has never supported a Republican. Not once, not ever, not one itty bitty time.” Klein ran on the Republican line in 2012, getting 15,000 of his 80,000 votes on that line.